Udo Kier
Also known as Udo Kierspe
Udo Kierspe, known professionally as Udo Kier, was a German actor. Known primarily as a character actor who often portrayed eccentric and deviant figures, he appeared in more than 220 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and the Americas.
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- The Travel Almanac #3 Spring/Summer 2012
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- Type
- Person
- Gender
- Male
- Country
- Germany
- Active from
- 1944
- Active to
- 2025
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Article
Udo Kierspe (14 October 1944 – 23 November 2025), known professionally as Udo Kier, was a German actor. Known primarily as a character actor who often portrayed eccentric and deviant figures, he appeared in more than 220 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and the Americas.
Kier made his breakthrough playing the title characters in the cult films Flesh for Frankenstein (1973) and Blood for Dracula (1974), both directed by Paul Morrissey, which established him as an icon of the horror film genre. He became a staple figure in both mainstream genre film and art house circles, described by one obituary as a "cult icon". He collaborated with notable filmmakers, such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Lars von Trier, Gus Van Sant, Werner Herzog, Walerian Borowczyk, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Dario Argento, Guy Maddin, Wim Wenders, and Rob Zombie.
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1944 births2025 deaths20th-century German LGBTQ people20th-century German male actors21st-century German LGBTQ people21st-century German male actorsActors from the Rhine ProvinceBurials at Hollywood Forever CemeteryGerman expatriate male actors in the United KingdomGerman expatriate male actors in the United StatesGerman gay actorsGerman male film actors